Love Triangle
by kazumigirl
Summary: Naruto likes Sakura, who likes Sasuke, who likes Naruto. How do you not ruin that kind of friendship without somebody getting hurt? Easy, you all date each other. How hard can it possibly be if you're all friends?
1. Chapter 1

**Love Triangle**

Author's note: It's been a long, long time since I've written a Naruto fanfiction. Okay, so to begin. This is a semi-alt. Universe. Let's just pretend that after a certain age, the kids go to regular school, wear regular clothes, and have semi-regular lives.

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Naruto placed his sweaty bottle of water to his equally sweaty forehead. It was hot day, close to summer, and though he loved playing soccer, the heat was almost unbearable. Some days he actually dreaded going to practice. Watching Sakura made it worthwhile, even when he felt like he was melting in the sun. Sakura had been his crush since he was about ten years old, making it a pathetic six years since he'd watched her from afar, always acting like a big shot and never having the guts to tell her how he really felt. Of course he pretended to moon over her and what not, but if he could truly act on his emotions, he would act serious around her.

Sakura was definitely out of her awkward phase. She was one of the more taller girls in Konoha, with beauty and brains to match. She was now on the school volleyball team, which had toned her nearly perfect figure as well.

The problem with Sakura, she was just like Naruto, only worse. Since she'd first laid eyes on him, Sakura had been helplessly in love with Sasuke. She wasn't sure why. Most of the girls that obsessed over him were only obsessed with his looks. Sakura hoped she was better than that. She'd always found Sasuke's mature and calm demeanor to be her target. He didn't seem like some goofy boy, he seemed like a proper young man.

She was currently talking with her best friend, Ino, when she spotted Naruto from her place on the school porch that looked out across to the soccer field. Naruto had always been her best example of what Sasuke _wasn't_. While Sasuke was mature and reserved, Naruto acted like an obnoxious eight year old. Of course, over the years, his scrawny body had gained some muscle-not a lot, in Sakura's opinion, but a little. He also no longer had a fleshy pink complexion, but had long been tan since he'd taken up sports in middle school. His blonde hair was so sun-bleached it looked almost white in the proper light. He wasn't movie star handsome like Sasuke, but okay looking. _Cute_, maybe.

As for Sasuke, his problem was ten times worse than Naruto and Sakura's put together. He'd never felt like he really belonged anywhere. He knew he was smart, and talented, and good-looking. He knew guys were jealous of him and girls wanted him, but all he wanted was to be normal. How could you trust anybody if nobody cared about anything deeper than your appearance? The one person he'd ever really considered a friend, even if on a mediocre level, was Naruto. Naruto was never discrete about anything and openly blabbed every thought that popped in his mind. Sasuke liked that about him. Well, he liked that the most. There wasn't much Sasuke _didn't_ like about Naruto and that was his problem. He _liked_ Naruto. More than anybody he'd ever met. Of course they still made snide comments about each other in the halls, but sometimes in class, a teacher would say something stupid, Naruto would make a funny comment, and Sasuke would snicker. Or sometimes they would just talk while waiting on the teacher to come in. It was nice, Sasuke thought, just to talk, and the conversation not be conceited or superficial. So while Naruto mooned over Sakura, and Sakura mooned over Sasuke, Sasuke mooned over Naruto. It was a mess.

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"Hey, Sakura!" Naruto greeted once Sakura's green eyes met his blue. He waved his bottle of water. "What's shakin', baby?"

Sakura rolled her eyes and Ino ordered her to ignore him. Sakura pretended to, but after a lot of fake whining from Naruto, he finally jogged across the field and joined them. He was still in his soccer practice attire, dripping sweat. Sakura made a smacking sound-something all girls did, Naruto thought. "What do you want?" She demanded, holding her nose. "You smell like old socks."

"It's the smell of victory!" Naruto laughed, smelling under his armpits. He took a big drink of his water. "So what are you ladies up to?"

"We're talking about Sasuke's essay he read in class today," Ino told him. "Weren't you listening? It was the best report on transcendentalism I've ever heard."

"I didn't have the pleasure," Naruto replied, shrugging one shoulder. "I was too busy sleeping. I swear, Sasuke's voice is like a one-key metronome or something."

"Shut up!" Sakura told him, trying to hide her smile. Despite how much she liked Sasuke, it was a funny a comment. And true, to a degree.

"You didn't even do yours," Ino accused. "How do you even expect to stay in soccer if you never do any school work? No pass, no play, right?"

"I'll do it tomorrow, geez!" Naruto crossed his arms behind his head. "It's a dumb assignment anyway-oral reports. It doesn't benefit society in anyway. The class hates listening to you just as much as you hate talking to them."

"My report was brilliant," the pink haired girl smiled proudly. "Mr. Gonzo gave me an A+."

"Your zipper was probably down," Naruto grinned back, and Sakura shoved him playfully. Even if she pretended to always be annoyed with him, they were friends whether she liked it or not.

"Omigawd!" Ino shook Sakura's shoulder. "Here comes Sasuke now!" She pointed, and sure enough, Sasuke was trudging their way.

"Hey!"Sakura greeted, feeling her legs turn to jello. "So what'd you make on the essay assignment?"

"A," Sasuke grumbled. "Not a big deal or anything." He crossed his eyes over to Naruto. "Why didn't you do it?"

"I don't like homework," Naruto told him simply.

"I mean _read_ it, you moron," Sasuke said, rolling his eyes.

" 'read it'?" Sakura repeated, glancing at Naruto. Her eyebrows raised. "You mean you _did_ do your homework?"

"He finished it up in Biology yesterday when we had half of the class period to ourselves," Sasuke said, still looking at Nartuto. "You're gonna fail."

"What are you? My mother?" Naruto frowned at him. "I just didn't feel like reading out loud, okay?"

Sasuke only shrugged and turned to Sakura and Ino. It had only started this year, but Sasuke was determined to break out of his shyness-which most people mistook for snobbery. He didn't think he was better than anybody else. He just didn't really know what to say to anyone, about anything. Well, except for Naruto. He could say whatever he wanted to Naruto because he knew Naruto not only had no room to judge him, but because he never judged anybody.

"So are you excited about summer break?" Ino asked him, tossing her hair a little.

"I am," Sakura piped up. "Except I have volleyball practice in just a few weeks." She smiled and was glad she'd suffered through braces. They were worth it in the end.

Sasuke only shrugged again. He couldn't believe how close Naruto was to him. He wondered if it was because Sakura kept moving closer to _him. _Like every other girl in school, Sakura was no exception to the rule. If you had two X chromosomes, you were going to moon over Sasuke. He'd spent more time with her while they were a team, and even attempted to get closer to her, but she had never really broken her façade. He still didn't know much about her because she always busy trying to please him. He wondered if Naruto knew the real Sakura. He'd seen her get angry with the blonde, and act silly when she wasn't angry. Why could people act like with each other and not him?

Ino's cell phone rang and she rolled her eyes, walking away while mouthing a foul word. Naruto, Sakura, and Sasuke stared at each other awkwardly. They weren't exactly in a circle, but in a triangle, Sasuke not as close to Sakura and Naruto, who were standing right across from each other. Sakura knew about Naruto, and Naruto knew about Sakura, but neither of them knew about Sasuke. Only he knew about the triangle. He attempted to take a few steps forward, but backed up, moving to lean against the cool brick wall and slide down, into a sitting position.

"Goddamn, it's hot…" he groaned, placing the bottle back to his forehead. "What is it today? 207 degrees?" He looked at Sasuke's black collar shirt over a white Tshirt and groaned even louder. "How can you wear that?"

"It's kind of funny how we're all together again," Sakura chuckled, playing with her hair. "We haven't been like this in a while."

"Too bad Kakashi's not here to do inappropriate things," Naruto said, and Sauske couldn't help but snort. They'd been too young at the time, but as they got older they realized their former teacher was somewhat of a lowly drunk old pervert.

Sasuke looked between the two, recognizing the longing in their facial and body movements, and idea suddenly struck him. A bizarre idea. An idea he considered tucking at the back of his mind, never to be thought again. It was late May, and summer would soon be here. School would be out for two months. What did he have to lose?

"Naruto, you like Sakura?" It sounded more like a statement than a question, but his face showed he was asking.

"What?" Naruto's brows furrowed and he looked up at the taller boy.

"And you like me?" Sasuke turned to look at Sakura and she blushed.

"Who do you like?" She asked, thinking maybe he was about to confess his love for her, which would have made her exisistance ten times easier.

"I like Naruto," Sasuke said, rolling his eyes a little. "There. I said it."

Naruto continued to stare at him like he'd just announced he was joining the circus as a trapeze artist. Sasuke sighed and leaned against the wall. "I'm sorry if it makes you feel weird."

"You mean, like, like me like me?" Naruto started to fan himself with his hands. Obviously it didn't weird him out that much.

"Yes, Jacksass." Sasuke rolled his eyes again.

"Well it explains a lot," Sakura said softly, sighing as she did so. She smiled through her disappointment. "But we're still friends, right?" she asked, trying to laugh a little, maybe even stifle a few tears.

"That's what got me to thinking," Sasuke said, massaging his eyes with his fingertips for a moment. "We like each other for the most part, and you two know better than anybody that I'm lost cause socially."

"Uh, yah." Naruto said, and then looked up at Sasuke smiling, making sure he got the joke.

"So let's just date each other," Sasuke proposed.

"What?" Now the confusion was all over their faces.

"We have a whole summer ahead of us of practically doing nothing," Sasuke told them. "So why not date like people should anyway?"

"You mean, like, the three of us out together?" Sakura's brows couldn't have been more furrowed.

"Not really…"Sasuke was wondering if he should have just kept his mouth shut. "Maybe something like you and me-" he gestured to Sakura, "going out sometimes, and then you and Naruto, and then…" he felt a blush creeping to his face.

"I get what you're saying," Naruto shrugged. "Sounds good to me. I get whined and dined either way."

"What are you talking about?" Sakura urged, ignoring Naruto. "You mean, just me and you? But you just said you like Naruto."

"I don't know you," Sasuke pointed out bluntly. "Not really anyway. It would be a good chance for us to really bond on a level that's not completely hormonal."

"But it wouldn't be real," Sakura almost laughed. "You would just pretend to like me?"

"I don't pretend anything. Ever." Sasuke stared at her. "I don't want to ruin our friendship over one of us getting hurt."

Sakura couldn't believe what she was hearing. On one hand, it didn't sound so bad, but on the other, it sounded very odd and a little disturbing. She twirled a finger around in her hair, looking at the ground. "But you think we'd get to know each other?"

"If you're willing," Sasuke's low, unintentionally seductive voice was enough to melt her again.

To Be Continued…


	2. Chapter 2

**Pink and Blue**

_This is an awful idea,_ Sakura thought as she pulled her capris up and over her hips. _What on earth possessed me to agree to it?_

After discussing over lunch period in school-something that nobody had seen in a long time, the three of them together-Sakura and Naruto had finally agreed to the dating triangle idea. At the time, it hadn't seemed like such a bizarre idea, but then again, Sasuke could sell ice to an Eskimo. All one had to do to say 'yes' was look him in his gorgeous dark eyes. Of course, Sakura constantly tried to make herself believe that she beyond his looks, so she pretended that the points he made had been pros rather than cons. They would get to know each other on a deeper level. It was true that they had once been a team, but even through the perils, Sakura still knew little about them. Another point-nobody's feelings would be hurt. Isn't that why so many relationships went haywire anyway? Why couldn't one love more than one other person? What was the harm? Wouldn't the world be a much better place with less domestic violence and trauma if people could love more than one-and it be okay with everybody else?

"Dammit!" Sakura's hands were sweating so much that the zipper of her khakis ran off the track. She was a mess tonight. Even though she had tried to convince herself what she was doing was right, her gut instinct told her otherwise.

"_So who goes first?"_ _Sakura asked. "I mean, I'm assuming we're going to take turns, right? That's what you said."_

"_Me and you," Sasuke told her. "I mean, if that's what you want."_

"_YES! I mean, whatever you want is fine with me," she replied._

Maybe it wouldn't be so bad. Maybe Sasuke really would get to know her and really start to like her the way she liked him. Maybe it would all work out in her favor. She immediately felt bad for thinking so sneaky and selfishly, but she felt a rush of excitement. She was not doing this to avoid hurt feelings. She was doing this to get what she wanted.

She jumped when she heard a knock at her door. It was him. Her armpits felt swampy and legs felt heavy. She did a double take in her vanity mirror, touching up the ends of her hair. She raced over to the door and opened it, tucking some hair behind her ear. He was gorgeous. Even in just a black polo and pressed jeans, he looked mature and sophisticated. Sakura smiled and invited him in. He did so, and looked around. "It smells nice in here," he said.

"Oh," Sakura laughed nervously as she discretely tried to tidy up. "My mom-she, uh, makes potpourri and we have a lot sitting around the house." She looked around. "Would you like something to drink?"

"No," he said. "I'm good." He glanced at the clock on her wall. "So where would you like to go. We have two hours." It was part of the deal. Each date would last exactly two hours.

"Um," Sakura pretended to think about it, though in reality she had planned the evening days ahead of time. "That new movie's playing-the one about the forest monster."

"Sounds good," Sasuke nodded. "Ready to go?"

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Sakura wasn't particularly a fan of scary movies, but she figured it would give her excuse to latch onto Sasuke. She was a fan of movie snacks, however, and was slightly put off when Sasuke refused anything-even when Sakura offered to pay. She bought herself a bottle of water, feeling she would look like a big eating popcorn by herself. The theatre was already a bit crowded, and Sakura spotted two seats near the top. She turned to walk in the direction of the stairs, but Sasuke gently took her arm. It sent electricity up her spine. He gestured his head towards two empty seats in the front. The very front. The section in which one had to crane their neck just to see what they were watching. Sakura frowned, but as she hesitated, another couple pushed past them and made their way to the top seats.

The movie was scary, and Sakura continued to jump and whimper, eyeing Sasuke as she did so. Maybe he would put his arm around her or something. When she turned to him the third time, her mouth dropped. Sasuke was hunched down in his seat, his arms crossed, his eyes closed. If he weren't so damn handsome, Sakura would have been mad. She let her eyes roll back in her head and then reached over and nudged him in the arm with her index finger. He didn't stir. She brushed her fingers over his arm. Nothing. She finally let her hand rest on his arm, and felt satisfied.

There were a few girls from her school sitting a couple of rows ahead of them, and Sakura tried to hide her smirk as she heard them whispering about her. What on earth was Sasuke doing on a date with Sakura?

The movie played out like the typical horror movie, and during the middle of the credits, Sasuke's phone began to buzz loudly. He stirred slightly, his dark eyes opening, and Sakura quickly removed her own arm. He took his phone from his pocket and glanced at the screen. "Two hours," he said, his voice groggy with sleep. He then stared up at the projection screen. "Did I fall asleep?"

"It's okay," Sakura told him. "It was kind of boring." That was true enough, but Sakura wasn't going to go off on him about how rude it had been to take a nap. Not Sasuke. She started to stand up to stretch, but Sasuke took hold of her arm. He stretched for a good ten seconds and then smiled. A genuine smile in h_er_ direction. Even in the dark his white teeth glittered.

"I'm really sorry," he said. "I didn't mean to go to sleep on you."

"Don't worry about it," Sakura said, smiling back. "I kind of nodded off myself a couple of times." Not true, but wasn't it better to lie to keep him from feeling bad?

Sasuke stood up, and so did Sakura. They stretched a little bit more, and then Sasuke leaned over and pecked her on the lips. Even if she had been expecting it, Sakura would have dropped her water bottle. She knelt down to pick it up and so did he. They bumped heads, but chuckled about it. The girls behind them stared, sipping their sodas. Obviously this unexpected outing was far more interesting than a psycho killer hiding in the woods.

"I had a good time," Sakura said when they got outside. That part was pure truth. She was holding Sasuke's hand, getting the hairy eyeball from every girl that crossed their path.

"I'll stay awake through the whole thing next time," Sasuke promised. "I swear to God." They laughed again, and Sakura didn't want to have the night end. Briefly, she'd completely forgotten this was all pretend. Even if they had agreed to try and get to know each other, part of her told her this was nothing but a façade. She pushed that thought to a nether region of her brain as they came together for another kiss. Still just a peck, but a kiss none the less.

To Be Continued…


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